Can opener



Jan- 5 1926. 1,568,312

A. M. BECKER cm OPENER Filed July 29, 1924 INVENTOR a t/[Becker ATTORNEYPatented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES AUGUST M. BECKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y,

CAN OPENER.

Application filed July 29, 1924. Serial No. 728,810.

T all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, AUGUST M. BECKER, a citizen of the United States,resident of New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Can Openers, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to can openers, and more particularly to thattype of cans in which the can cover is adapted to be attached ordetached from the body of the can so as to enable the cover of the canto be used again and again, that the cover of the can is not torn openas is sometimes the case with can openers.

The object of my invention is to provide a very simple means which maybe readily made with substantially one manufacturing operation, and myfurther object is to provide a can opener which is simple inconstruction so as to facilitate the opening of the can and also thecarrying of the can opener by the user.

It is well known that cansconsisting of a bottom and cover portion,which are usually used for shoe blacking, pomades, creams, ointments andthe like, have the cover so securely fastened to the body of the can asto make it well nigh impossible for the ordinary user to remove thecover from the body of the can. Such frictional hold results sometimesfrom the lack of proper registration between the body of the can andcover, and at other times due to a certain rusting of the metal, or toother causes well known to the users of cans of this type, and if thecover be distorted by the use of any implement not especially adaptedfor the purpose, such distortion of the cover while it may permit theready removal of the cover from the body of the can renders a stilltighter connection between the body of the can and the cover is againplaced on the body of the can. To overcome these objections I provide avery simple can opener consisting essentially of a main member havingthereon two oppositely disposed lever members, both of said levermembers being adapted to insert in the usual crack between the edge ofthe cover and the body of the can, and by the very slight turningmovement of said main member the opposite disposed lever members serveto raise the cover from the body of the can.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter shown in thedrawing and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing,-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a can having its cover thereon and myimproved can opener placed in position in respect thereto, as it isdesired to use the can opener when it is desired to open the can cover;

Figure 2 is a detailed section of a part of the can and cover with myinvented can opener applied thereto, showing the cover in the process ofremoval from the body of the can;

Figure 3 is a plan view of my can opener;

Figure 4 is an end view of the same, and

Figure 5 is an end view taken at right angles to that of Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference indicate the corresponding partsthroughout various views.

Referring to the drawings, and more par: ticularly to Figs. 3, at and 5,my improved can opener consists of a main portion having a suitablehandle 11 preferably as shown in the drawings integral therewith and atone edge of the main member 10 there is arranged a circular cutout 12.At either side of this circular cutout 12 a lever member 13 and a secondlever member 14 is provided. These lever members are so constructed asto be, each bevelled off at one side, whereas the other side of eachlever member is flat or flush with the surface of the main member 10.So, for instance, the beveled portion 15 of the member 13 extends fromthe flush portion 16 in bevelled formv until said bevel fuses in withthe flat surface of the main member 10, said flat sur face beingopposite to the surface around the fiat portion 16 is arranged. Theother member 14 is identical with the member 13 excepting that it isoppositely disposed. In the member 14 the flat surface 17 is flush withthe side 18 of the member 10, and the bevelled portion 19 begins at thefiat surface 17 and covers over into the fiat surface 20 of the member10. The recess extends between the members 13 and 141 as shown by 12 inFig. 4.

In the use of my improved can opener the portion 10 is placed betweenthe cover portion 21 and the body portion 22 of any suitable can. It iscommon practice in cans of this kind to provide the body portion 22 witha seat 23 against which the cover portion 21 rests and which seatusually determines the range of'movement of the cover portion. Then thecover is thusplaced on the seat 23' and the can closed and it is adaptedto open the can cover 21 and;remove it from the body portion 22, thenthemember 1Q is inserted into the crack between the cover :and the seat 23,and the handle 11 is given a turning movement in the direction of thearrows 2%. This turning movement causes the flat snrt'ace lti to pressagainst the edge of the cover 21 and the other flat surface 17 to pressagainst the seat 23. Thereby a very efficient opener is provided, thebevelled portions 15 and 19 permit the ready insertion of the two levermembers 13 and 14: into the relatively fine crack between" the cover 21and the body 530 *portion 22, the recess 12 enabling such insertion tobe readily made.

I have described one embodiment of my invention, but it 1s clear thatchanges may be made in the details thereof Without departing from thespirit of my invention as defined inthe appended claim.

I claim:

An improved -an opener, comprising a main member, a handle on said mainmember, two lever members on the main member at opposite sides thereof,all of said members being of one single piece and integral with eachother, each of said lever members having a flat portion flush with onesurface of the main member and another portion bevelled 01? from saidflat portion to the oppositely disposed surface of said main member andhaving a recess between the tvvo lever members curved inwardly from one,across and outwardly to the other.

In testimony that I claim the fOiGgOing as my invention, have signed myname hereto.

* AUGUST M. BECKER.

